1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cutter for cutting sheet media by moving a first cutter blade and a second cutter blade against each other, and to a printer having the cutter.
2. Related Art
JP-A-H5-318385 describes a cutter of the related art. In JP-A-H5-318385, a first cutter blade moves reciprocally between a forward position where the medium is cut, and a retracted position removed from the forward position. The second cutter blade is disposed to a cutting position where the first cutter blade slides against the second cutter blade on the outbound path of the first cutter blade as it moves from the retracted position to the forward position. The second cutter blade is also disposed to a separation position where the second cutter blade separates from the first cutter blade on the return path of the first cutter blade returning from the forward position to the retracted position. Because the contact period of the first cutter blade and the second cutter blade is shorter in the cutter described in JP-A-H5-318385 than in a cutter in which the first cutter blade is in contact with the second cutter blade while moving reciprocally between the forward position and the retracted position, wear and noise from the two cutter blades sliding together can be suppressed.
Contact between the second cutter blade and the first cutter blade is eliminated with the cutter described in JP-A-H5-318385 on the return path of the first cutter blade returning from the forward position to the retracted position. Therefore, if the timing when contact between the first cutter blade and the second cutter blade is eliminated is not set appropriately, the space in which there is no contact between the cutter blades on the return path becomes shorter. If the space of no contact between the cutter blades on the return path is too short, there is still wear and chatter from the blades rubbing against each other after the medium is cut.